The government of British Columbia (BC) announced Friday a four-phase approach to delivering millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine between now and September 2021.
BC is currently in Phase 1 of the plan, which began in late December 2020 and will run until February, in which “high-risk" segments of the population are being immunized, including remote Indigenous communities:
• Residents, staff, and essential visitors to long-term care and assisted living
• Individuals assessed for/awaiting long-term care
• Hospital health care workers who may provide care for COVID-19 patients
• Remote and isolated Indigenous communities
The FNHA has been involved in Phase 1 of the plan, delivering vaccine doses to individuals living in First Nations communities across all regions. A global delay in receiving vaccine doses from Pfizer, however, may affect the start date of some vaccination clinics in BC First Nations communities.
The FNHA has taken a “whole community" approach during this first phase, offering the first dose of the vaccines to all adults (age 18 and older) specifically living in community who wish to receive it. While this is our immediate priority we continue to work with regional and provincial partners to ensure all BC First Nations people, regardless of residence, are considered priority populations as the province rolls out Phase 2 of this plan.
Phase 2 of the plan will run from February to March and prioritize Elders who are living away from home (65 years of age and older) and additional Indigenous communities:
• Seniors aged 80 and older who are not yet immunized
• Indigenous seniors aged 65 and older and additional communities not yet immunized
• Hospital staff, community GPs and medical specialists not yet immunized
• Vulnerable populations in select congregated settings
• Staff in community home support and nursing services for seniors
Phases 3 and 4 will run from April to September, delivering 7.4 million doses, first to adults aged 60 to 79, and then all adults between 18 and 59.
For more information on this rollout, read the provincial press release or the Immunization plan (PDF).
For all questions pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccines, our FAQ is updated regularly, while our COVID-19 portal provides resources for BC First Nations individuals, community leaders and health professionals.
